UNDERSEA EXTRAVAGANZA!
Cut to a rocky shoreline where a sopping Pinocchio drags himself out of the water and lifts the cricket out after him clinging to his new tail. With all due dispatch, the two make their way back to Geppetto’s house,...
The Nine Disney Animated Masterpieces
“SUPREME MOMENT OF HORROR”
Soon nightfall darkens the scene at Pleasure Island and shadows its gloomy ruin. Jiminy now wandering alone through the debris and still calling out Pinocchio’s name, the camera zooms past him toward the desolate landscape’s only lighted structure, a distant...
NEXT TEMPTATION: PLEASURE ISLAND
Now the Blue Fairy makes her second appearance. Pinocchio and Jiminy are commiserating inside the birdcage, the cricket failing dismally at cheering up the puppet and only making himself more miserable. Outside the window the rain has abated and suddenly...
SHIPS CROSSING IN THE NIGHT
Post show inside Stromboli’s wagon chowing down on “Italian” cuisine – i.e. sausage, wine, olives, cheese and garlic – the puppetmaster tallies his take, Pinocchio now sidelined, observing. Furious at finding a slug amongst the gold, the puppeteer has a...
PINOCCHIO STARS IN PUPPET SHOW
Crickets being nocturnal insects, Jiminy has overslept and is late for his first day on the conscience job. Dashing along a street and at the same time – in a mind-boggling feat of animation – pulling on his jacket, tucking...
THE EASY ROAD TO SUCCESS
Without further ado the next day arrives, heralded by morning bells clanging in a steeple high above the village and sending doves aflutter. This is the opening shot of a 45-second multiplane camera truck-and-pan that remains a revered landmark in...
BEDTIME
The song “Little Wooden Head” ends with Pinocchio dancing off the edge of the workbench, tripped up in a clutter of pots, pans, a pitcher, a palette and so forth and causing a terrible racket, which rouses Geppetto from his...
BLUE FAIRY APPEARS
Time for bed and this household’s denizens settle in for the night: Geppetto under a beautifully quilted coverlet, Figaro alongside in his own little bed with its hand-carved headboard depicting an angelic haloed kitten praying and Cleo in her fishbowl’s...
TESTING THE NEW MARIONETTE
Geppetto now applies the finishing touch to his new marionette: biting his tongue with concentration, he paints a wide cheerful smile across Pinocchio’s face. However, I learned early on when building a puppet “the eyes have it”, as the saying...
JIMINY’S NARRATION AND MY DISCLOSURE
Having taken us into his confidence and established the story as a flashback that will corroborate the efficacy of wishing upon a star, Jiminy Cricket now launches into his narration and pries open that big book. When the end paper...
